Ely Cathedral – Getting Ready to Reopen
25th June 2020
In line with government guidelines, the cathedral is working behind the scenes with an opening date of Friday, July 3.
Ely Cathedral preparing to reopen for private prayer
The plan is to open from Wednesday to Saturday, between 11am to 2pm, and Sundays put aside for the clergy to live stream services.
Safety is the key focus, with limited number of people permitted, hand sanitiser stations introduced and regular signage to remind about social distancing. Fully-trained staff will be on hand to welcome and assist.
Details about the other cathedrals and their plans to re-open here.
The Refectory Café, shop, stained glass museum and toilet facilities will not be open at this time and will be part of a later phase when the cathedral opens its doors to visitors later in July.
The Very Revd Mark Bonney, Dean of Ely said:
“I am very pleased that the government has allowed churches and cathedrals to open for individual private prayer. This is permissive not mandatory guidance, so churches and cathedrals will vary in their opening times.
“The preparation for this to be safe is going to be different for every building, and the safety of all is paramount. In Ely we have a great deal to do so will not be ready to open until 3 July.
“We very much look forward to welcoming people into the cathedral to pray again.”
The cathedral will continue to offer extensive online services, prayers and support which can be found on the Worship at Home pages on their website which you can find here.
This story first appeared in the Cambridge Independent.
In case you’ve forgotten what Ely Cathedral looks like on the inside – here’s a reminder.
